Action role-playing game Code of Princess will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS in North America this fall, publisher Atlus confirmed this morning via press release.  The game offers a unique blend of 2-D side scrolling beat ’em up gameplay combined with traditional RPG stat building, all the while maintaining the brutal difficulty level that most Atlus games are known for. Code Princess will also support up to four players playing locally via Wi-Fi or online using the Nintendo Network.

Atlus Sales and Marketing Director described the gameplay like this:

“Fans of action will savor the game’s combat, which is loaded with satisfying chain attacks and plenty of depth–both in terms of attack options and also quite literally in the sense that battlefields employa three-railed design, letting players move forward and back as tactics dictate. Fans of RPGs will relish the ability to level and improve their characters, convertingtheir gained experience into boosts for the stats that best suit their play style  and tactics. “

Alongside the announcement of the game Atlus also released multiple screenshots featuring rich 2-D artwork, what appears to be a real-time battle system, and anime inspired character portraits. Check out a few the screenshots below